Outsource or Do-It-Yourself?

Here’s a new answer to the question posed in the headline of this article: The decision doesn’t have to be one or the other.

 

Outsourcing customer service, particularly to a home-based provider, is more efficient and more effective. Bottom-line. Over the past year, this column has focused on helping companies understand this undeniable, proven fact.

 

So why do most companies still handle customer service in-house using a brick-and-mortar facility? To those of us in the outsourcing world, this seems crazy. We know there’s a better way. But, we also know that despite all the benefits of the at-home model, change is hard, especially when a significant investment has been made in the existing infrastructure and processes.

 

Most companies I talk to understand outsourcing customer service is likely a better solution for them. Yet they continue to pay unnecessary overhead costs, take whoever they can get for employees, and pay for less effective training because:

 

a) They are afraid of losing control, and

b) They don’t know how to do it any other way.

 

Our research shows that 67 percent of customer service functionality is still performed by customer care professionals working within an in-house service department.

 

Insourcing or outsourcing customer service generally are mutually exclusive options. This either/or decision has been frustrating for executives who want to utilize existing infrastructure but also realize they need to be more responsive and flexible to customers. They need assistance implementing an internal, home-based customer service program but, until recently, had nowhere to turn. Knowing that it takes more than simply buying the staff laptops and letting them work from home, my advice has always been to outsource the problem to the experts. However, there were always some companies that decided to forge ahead on their own, with results that left a lot to be desired.

 

Consulting – A Hybrid Solution

 

As the advantages of the home-based business model have become more visible, there has been an increase in the number of companies trying to implement an at-home workforce themselves. Unfortunately, these businesses often lack the knowledge, experience or resources to create such a program. They waste valuable time and money by making the same mistakes faced 11 years ago when this type of call center was first conceived. By reinventing the wheel, so to speak, they run into the same frustrations, the same challenges and the same technology issues that have been solved long ago by companies providing these services as an outsourced option. To those companies I would like to suggest consulting as a better option.

 

A new consulting service has recently been introduced into the marketplace to help companies develop their own home-based service department. In addition, there are a number of individuals who have experience and are willing to help guide companies. By leveraging existing expertise, companies don’t have to start at square one. Instead, they receive expert advice and a customized plan to meet their specific needs. Although I can’t address the consulting processes of other consultants, the following methodology used by Alpine Access Consulting to establish more than 100 at-home programs for different size businesses provides a good overview of how this service works.

 

Consulting Stages

 

Below is a sample of the various stages a company should go through when implementing the at-home model. Companies should look for consulting partners who offer the flexibility and willingness to provide assistance across all stages or who are just willing to step in where needed.

 

 

Whether you need help understanding how your company can benefit from an at-home program, are looking for assistance with converting to a home-based workforce, or perhaps have an existing home-based solution in need of improvement, you no longer have to walk blindly down this path alone.

 

If you aren’t ready to offload the hassle of customer service to an outsourcing partner, I encourage you to at least leverage the expertise of a consultant to create operational efficiencies within your organization. By learning from the experts and avoiding mistakes they’ve already made, you’ll be able to improve the quality of service delivered in a shorter timeframe and at a lower cost. After all, in the words of George Bernard Shaw, “Success does not consist in never making mistakes, but in never making the same one a second time.”